Switch for lighting installations.



F. KRATZ. SWITCH FOR LIGHTING lNSTALLATiONS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1915.

Y 1,164,727. Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoF- FRANZ KRATZ, OF STUTTGART, GERMANY,.ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OF ROBERT BOSCH,

0F STUT'IGART, GERMANY.

SWITCH FOR LIGHTING INSTALLATIONS Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec 21, 1915.

Application filed July 1, 1915. Serial No. 37,540.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, F RANZ KRATZ, engineer, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at 59 Schloss-strasse, Stuttgart, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Connected with Switches for Lighting Installations; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

The invention relates to lighting installations, particularly forvehicles, in which, by means of a switch, one or more sources of current, or sets of lamps, can be connected with or disconnected from the lightingleads. By an unintentional manipulation of this switch it may happen that the lighting is suddenly extinguished. For example, it in an automobile at full speed the lamp switch or the switch for connecting the source of current is unintentionally placed in the ofl position, an accident is almost unavoidable in consequence of the sudden extinction of the lamps. dentally extinguished if the switch is unintentionally turned from the position for dynamo lighting to that for battery lighting, at a time when the battery isinsufliciently charged.

It is already known to provide against an unauthorized and unintended adjustment of the switch by looking it in the diiierent positions by hand. Such a locking device affords, however, only a very limited protection, for it requires, just as much as the setting itself of the switch, the full attention of the person looking after the lighting installation. If he forgets to insert the bolt, the danger alluded to still exists.

The invention is designed to overcome this drawback.

It consists in providing a' locking device a of known kind which automatically holds the switch locked in one or more of the positions, in such a manner, that this looking can only be released by a particular hand lever; The switch is, therefore, permanently locked and its setting can only be altered by releasing the automatic locking device. These two manipulations necessary before the switch is set in another position, prevent any unintentional or accidental use of the switch, since the locking lever can Also, the lights may be accionly be released when the switch lever is in the required position, and consequently the .switch must be brought into the right setting.

ln the accompanying drawing, Figures 1-3 represent diagrammatically examples of construction according to the invention. v

In Figs. 1 and 3, a represents a shunt dynamo, 0 a battery, 6 the lamp circuit, and f a hand switch which can be adjusted by means of a hand lever g. The battery is connected with contacts 5 and 6; the dynamo machine with the contact 7 of the switch. The dotted lines show the difierent'positions of the switch, in the position DB the battery and the dynamo are connected in parallel to the lamp leads. In,the position D, only the dynamo; in the position B, only the battery is connected with the lighting leads. In the off position, both sources of current are cut off. Stops E23 and 2d limit the movement of the switch lever in the positions DB and O. In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the unearthed lighting main 6 is connected by a lead 71/ with the metallic part. of the switch lever A disk i is keyed on the spindle of the switch and is provided with four notches db, d, b and O. A catch 70 engages in these against the action of the spring by means of the key n, which is shown dotted in the figure.

The deviceacts as followsz-The spring Z draws the catch is constantly into the horizontal position, so that it always engages with one of the notches and locks the switch lever f, g. Fig. 1. shows the switch locked in the position DB. If the switch is to be brought into the position D, the key is turned in the direction shown bythe arrow, thereby releasing the disk 2' while the key is held against the action of the spring until the switch is brought into the desired position, which is indicated by the easy snap of the switch into a notch, which is not shown. The key is held until this position is attained, so that the catch is snaps into the notch 03 and again locks the switch lever- Since the driver is compelled in this way to hold the locking device outof engagement against the tension of the spring, any unintentional setting of the switch is practically excluded.

. lamps are A only the head lights htl I pressed against a fixed only the side lights,

the positions 1', H switch the movements of the disks 2',

The device described is portance for the oii position of the switch.

Fig. 2 shows a construction of the switch i in which the notches db, d and Z) are replaced by a single recess 9. A notch 0 provided for the off position is separated from these by a projection Q. In this form of construction the switch is not locked in the positions DB, D and B,bu'; only lightly held in its setting by a notch, not shown. It the switch is to be set in the ofi.position, the projection g opposes the locking by the catch is and this must be removed from the path of the disk 2' by the key before the switch can be brought into the oif position.

The spring Z shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be replaced by a watch spring. Fig. 3 shows a construction in which both the switch for the sources of current and also the lamp switch by which the separate connected up and disconnected, can be locked by meansot' the same locking device. The switch 7, g for the source of current is similar to that shown in Fig. 1. The lamp switch is provid d with two arms 1, and 1", which are connected by a web s and a metal spring at at the hand lever 26 in every position. of the switch makes contact with a fixed plate 1) which is connected by a lead it to the switch 7'. The head lights 8 and 9 of the automobile are connected to a contact 10, the side lights 11 and 12 to a contact 13. In the position I of the switch in the position H the side and head lights, in the position TH are supplied with cur rent. In the off position all the lamps are cut out. Stops 23 and 24 limit the movement of the switch lever in the extreme positions I and 0. On the spindle of the of particular im switch lever f there is a disk 2', in which along recess p is cut off by a stop 9 from a short recess 0. Symmetrical thereto in the corresponding disk 2'" of the lamp switch 1 r there are a large notch 10,, a stop 9 and a small notch 0 A stirrup piece 14 is provided with teeth 15 and 16, which ordinarily engagein the recesses of the disk 2' and z". The stirrup 14 is carried by a sleeve 17 which is guidedin part 19 ofthe frame. the stirrup 14- against table about a pin 21,

A spring 20 presses a short arm is rotaso that the arm is stop m. The arm is can be turned by the key 7t in the direction of the arrow shown in dotted lines, to depress the stirrup 14, A shoulder of the stirrup limits its downward movement, so that the torque exerted by the spring 20 is suiiicient to return the arm to its original position.

The action is as follows: In the positions DB, D and B of the switch 7", g and also in and Hit of the lamp 2', are

a boring 18 of a fixed mower allowedby the long recesses 19 and p, and are not interfered with by the teeth 15 and 16 of the stirrup 14:, but as soon as either the switch 7, g or the are brought into the ofi" position, thp projection g or g, presses on the tooth 15 or 16 and the key it must be turned in the direction of the hands of a watch, in order, by the pressure of the surface 22 of the arm Z, to depress the stirrup 14:. Thereby, the teeth 15, 16 are depressed so far that the projections q and g Jcan pass unhindered over the teeth 15 16. Tf-h ow one or both of the switches are tobe brought into the off position, the arm is is allowed to snap back, so that the teeth 15 and 16 catch in the notches 0 or 0 and lock the switches. The switches can be brought to theofi position either singly or together.-v

ln the constructions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, two or more switches can be provided with the same locking device. 7

aving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In an electric switch, the combination of a series of fixed contacts, aswitch member movable over said contacts to make engagement therewith successively and mov able to a position at one side of the series of contacts constituting the open position of the switch, a locking member movable with the switch member and having a plurality' of notches, a-catch device normally held in l operative'position to engage in one or the other of said notches, said catch device and notches being designed to permit movement of the switch member in at least one direction over the series of contacts but being designed to prevent movement of the switch member to its open position, and manually actuated means to withdraw the catch device temporarily from its normally operat'ive position.

2. In an electric switch, the combination of a series of fixed contacts, a rotatable switch member movable over said contacts to make engagement therewith successively and movable to a position atone side of the seriesof contacts constituting the open position of theswitch, a disk secured to the switch member and rotatable therewith and having a plurality of notches formed in its periphery, a spring-pressed catch device normally held in operative position to engage in one or the other of said notches, said catch device and notches being designed to permit movement of the switch member in at least one direction over the series of contacts but being designed to prevent movement of the switch memb sition, and manually actuated means to withdraw'the catch device temporarily from its normally operative posit-i n.

lamp switch, or both,

er to its open po- 3. In an electric switch, a plurality of sets of fixed contacts, a switch member associated with each of the sets and movable into and out of engagement with the contacts thereof, an electrical connection between the switch members, each switch member being provided with a locking member movable therewith'and having a plurality of notches, a catch normally held in operative position 10 to engage the notches of the locking members, and manually actuated means to With- FRANZ KRATZQ Witnesses:

. PAUL WOLFART, Anon! LEBHERZ.

Gopiel of thls,patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, 13.0.? 

